Instep-arch support.



S. BERMAN.

INSTEP ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED MN. 5. 1914.

1 ,1 ,3 Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

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SAMUEL HERMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

. INSTEP-AROH SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Denial, tail-5.

Application filed January 5, 1914. Serial No. 810,528.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL BERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Instep-Arch Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in instep arch supports, and has for its general object to provide a simple, cheap and efficient form of arch support, easily manufactured and assembled, and susceptible of ready removal and substitution of parts for variation of the effective elevation of that portion of the structure which sustains the inside highest curve of the foot-arch.

In the drawing wherein I have shown an embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of the complete instep arch support. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 44 of Fig. 1.

In the specific construction shown in the drawings 10 indicates the metallic base plate, 11 an arch plate carried thereby and 12 a superimposed leather cover iece. The base plate 10, preferably of German silver or like material, is preferably shaped inplan to extend from a rear bearing point beneath the heel of the wearer to a front bearingedge beneath the ball. of the foot, and with the transverse spread at its bearing pointsadequate to give a sufficient bearing surface for support at both ends. The metal used in the base plate may be relatively stiif, or thick and is preferably formed with a longitudinal curve to lie easily over the curved shank of a shoe, and for some longitudinal springiness, its curvature giving it preferably a higher elevation along the inside of the base plate than along the outside edge thereof. (See Fig. 3).

The cover piece is secured to the base plate at longitudinally separated points relatively near the ends of the base plate, said cover piece being shaped in the usual fashion to conform to the inside shape of the heel and shank portion of the shoe, the snug fitting of the leather cover piece within the shoe giving position to the base plate. In the specific construction shown the rivets 13 extending through the base plate and cover piece to secure them permanently together are located closely adjacent to the inner edge of the base plate, adjacent to the end bearing surfaces.

The interposed arch plate 11 is preferably made more resilient than the base plate as by the provision of a structure of German silver, thinner than the base plate, and is appropriately shaped to conform to the highest arch portion of the under side of a. human foot, its side edge 11 preferably extending upwardly to give proper support or hearing to the inner side surface of the foot-arch. Although the side supporting portion of this plate may be slit or slotted for increased resiliency, I prefer that it be made solid or without slots, as shown, the material used being suificiently thin for adequate resiliency, in the form in which I prefer to construct the device.

The arch plate 11 is detachably secured in place between the coverpiece and the base plate so that it may be easily removed and reformed, or another arch plate of properly' different curvature substituted therefor, when the shape of the foot of a particular user may so require. To these ends the arch plate is made shorter than the distance between the rivets 1313 which secure to gether the base plate and cover piece so that, longitudinally, the arch plate lies between rivets 13. The extremities of the arch plate have formed therein integral down turned lips 14, formed by cutting small L-shaped slits longitudinally and then transversely from the ends of the arch plate and bending downwardly the metal included within the confines of such slits. These lips or projections 14 are preferably located in longitudinal alinement so that they nearly-parallel the longitudinal axis of the completed structure. Each lip 14 engages in an appropriate slot 15 formed to receive it in the base plate 10, and each slot 15 is preferably longer than the lip 14 which it receives, and the slots are so disposed that normally the lips 15 entering said slots stand at the adiacent ends of the alining slots 15. This slot and lip structure provides one available means of detachably connecting the parts for relative sliding movement-of either end of the arch plate when it is flattened more or less by the imposition of weight thereon.

I prefer that the arch plate 11 shall have its inner edge lying contiguous to the inner edge of the base plate 10 and within the con fines of the latter, and that the curvatnre of the arch nlate be such that saidplate-l'l normally bears only at its extremities upon the base plate 10, such bearing being had at portions of the base plate'where the latter is curving downwardly to meet the shoe.

In use the some-what-curved base plate may either flatten, or bow upwardly, or the center of the arch plate may flatten clownwardly' under the varying conditions imposed by the foot of the wearer and the coacting portions of-the shoe, such relative changes in position of the central portions of the two plates causing more or less longitudinal play of the alining lips 1% in their appropriate slots 15 in the base plate and giving to the article as a whole a resiliency and adaptability which tends greatly to increase the comfort of the wearer. Manifestly the'slots 15 in the base plate could be made of the samelengths as the lips 1 with the effect of producinga much stiffer arch support, while retaining the simplicity of construction and the ease of substitution of different arch plates which inheres in the construction described. Also it will be apparent that either one of the two slots might be made of equal length with its correspondinglip,causing the relative movement of the two plates to take place wholly in one direction, but I prefer to make both slots longer than their respec-.

tive lips in orderto conserve the tendency of self adjustment of thearch'plate to nice conformity with the foot of the wearer.

It will be manifest that the relatively heavy leather cover piece cooperating with the base plate and secured thereto just beyond the ends of the arch plate, constitutes adequately one form ofconnection between the parts which serves to retain'the arch plate in position where its lips-engage with the slots, but by prying the arch plate outwardly somewhat from the base plate the flexible coverpiece 18 caused to yield and the lips 14- may readily be disengaged from in the art that changes in the precise crnstruction might be made without departure from the spirit of my invention, within the scope of the following claim.

hat I claim is As an article of manufacture, an arch supporting structure comprising in combination a base plate, a smaller arch plate bearing at its end portions upon the smooth upper'surface of the base plate, a flexible leather cover piece, fastening means connecting each end of the base plate to the tle..\' ible cover piece beyond the ends of the arch plate and at one side of the transverse center line of the structure, and downwardly extending lips on the arch plate adjacent its ends and. at approximately the transverse center of the structure, said base plate having longitudinally disposed slots of greater length than the said lips and adapted to be removably engaged thereby.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence oftwo witnesses.

SAMUEL BERMAN. In the presence of- Enw. M. CULLEN, WM. M. SCHOLL.

Copies of this-patent may-be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D: C. 

